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(City of Oak Ridge press release) Oak
Ridge officials will join the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality
Advisory Board (EQAB) for the 34th Annual Arbor Day Observance on
Friday, March 1, 2019. The event is set to begin at 10 a.m. at
Glenwood Elementary School, located at 125 Audubon Road.

The ceremony also marks the 31st year
that the City of Oak Ridge has been recognized as a Tree City USA and
the fifth year for the City of Oak Ridge Electric Department’s
recognition as a Tree Line USA Utility by the Arbor Day
Foundation.

This year’s Master of Ceremonies is
Michelle Campanis, UT Arboretum Education Program Coordinator. At the
ceremony, Area Foresters with the Tennessee Department of
Agriculture’s Division of Forestry will present the Tree City USA
and Tree Line USA Utility awards to Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. The
Arbor Day ceremony will also include the planting of a Red Sunset
Maple tree donated by the City of Oak Ridge. Glenwood Elementary
School students, along with Cub Scouts from Troop 123, will
participate in the program.

Tree City USA recognizes towns and
cities that develop comprehensive urban forestry programs. Tree Line
USA honors utilities with a commitment to proper tree pruning,
planting and care in the local service area. Communities must reapply
for both designations annually.

To become a Tree City USA, a
community must meet four standards: a legally constituted tree board;
a community tree ordinance; a comprehensive community forestry
program supported by a minimum of $2 per capita; and an Arbor Day
proclamation and public tree planting ceremony.

A Tree Line USA Utility must
meet five program standards: follow industry standards for quality
tree care; provide annual worker training in best tree-care
practices; sponsor a tree-planting and public education program;
maintain a tree-based energy conservation program; and participate in
an Arbor Day celebration.

Previous Arbor Day observances have
been held at locations throughout the city, including the Oak Ridge
Civic Center, Senior Center, UT Arboretum, Cedar Hill Park, and at
Willow Brook, Woodland, Linden, and St. Mary’s Schools.

For more information, contact Jon
Hetrick, Director of the City’s Recreation and Parks Department, at
(865) 425-3446.

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